Venetian blind



H. W. WATTS VE'NETIAN BLIND Filed June 4, 1936 INVENTOR.

1 d. 002$; ,@1% We ATTORNEYS 1 l l I I 1 'l" Fgb. 27, 1940.

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 Edward J.

Hoff Company, Hamilton, corporation of Ohio Ohio, at

Application June 4, 1936, Serial No. 83,428

1 Claim.

The invention relates to Venetian blinds and more particularly to suchblinds having fabric slats.

. As is Well known, Venetian blinds are composed of a plurality of longnarrow slats sup- 7 ported on the cross-members of woven laddertapes andare raised and lowered by cords passing through elongated openings madetransversely in the slats. Y

The present invention may be considered in relation to the inventiondisclosed and claimed in the patent to Harry G. Balthasar, 2,091,579,issued August 31, 1937. In the patent the Venetian blind slat isdisclosed as fabricated of a relatively light thin material. The slathas been reinforced along its longitudinal edges by means of metallicstrips engaged along these edges, or wire inserted in the hems.forcement has been provided constituted by grommet plates clinched tothe side edge reinforcements. These grommet plates have surrounded theclearance apertures for the elevating cords.

It has been the object of the present inventor to provide lateralreinforcement meansvfor the slat adjacent the clearance openings, whichreinforcement means not only preventsbuckling of the slat but alsoprovides a marginal reinforcement for the clearance openings andadditionally to provide that the reinforcement means are efficientlyattached with respect to the longitudinal edge reinforcements withoutclinching of the transverse reinforcement elements themselves. Thepresent invention therefore provides as a structural embodiment,transverse grommet plates clinched with respect to the clearanceopenings and in another aspect of the invention, grommet plates whichare held in place by the longitudinal edge reinforcement means withoutclinching.

Other objects and further advantages of the invention will be more fullyapparent from a description of the following drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of'a section of a blind showing the ladder-tapewith slats supported by it;

Figs. 2 and 3 are top and bottom views respectively of a portion of onetype of slat embodying the invention, Fig. 2 being taken on section 22of Fig. 1. l c

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified detail of construction of the combinedbracing member and grommet.

Figs. 6 and 7 are top and bottom views respec- Also transverse rein--tively of another type of slat embodying the invention; and

Fig.8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawing, Fig. l, a laddertape in having the usual crossstraps ll supports the slats 12 of the blind. The tape is fastened atthe bottom to the rail M to which is secured the end of the lifting cord15.

Referrings to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the body of the slat I2 is made ofrather stiff textile fabric such as is commonly used for window shades,and has hems it along the longitudinal edges secured by stitching ll. Toprovide longitudinal rigidity, stiff spring wire I3 is inserted in thehems.

An elongated, opening 20 is provided in the slat, through which the cordI5. passes. As is customary, the cord runs through the slats between thetapes. If any lateral pressure is brought to bear on the slat, tendingto buckle it, it occurs at the point of contact with the tapes. Byreason of the presence of the cord slot 29, this is also the weakestpoint of the slat. In order to strengthen the slat and at the same timeto provide a reinforcing margin for the slot 28 and smooth edges wherethe slat contacts the cord,

a sheet metal bracing member 2! is secured to the slat. This member isslightly wider than the slot 20 and long enough to be bent around thehems Hi to securely grip them and the wires It contained inthem. Throughthe member 2! an opening is made of the same size as the opening in theslat and the marginal metal is clinched as at 22 (Fig. 2) to form agrommet for the slot 20, protecting the fabric against raveling andfurther supporting the fabric.

In Fig. 5 a modified construction is shownin 35 which, instead ofcrimping the metal of the bracing member around the slot, the bracingmember 2| has an opening cut in it the same size as the slot 20 in thefabric and a separate eyelet 23 is clinched around both the fabricmember.

Referring to Figs. 6, 7and 8, an embodiment of the invention applicableto a different type of fabric slat is illustrated. -As best shown inFig. 3, the longitudinal edges of the fabric 30 are made rigid byfolding them into metal strips 3!, which are drawn disproportionatelylarge for the sake of clarity. The combined bracing member and grommet32 is. secured at its ends within the folds of thestrips 3| and isclinched around the fabric as at 33. v i 7 While the invention has beendisclosed in detail in connection with specific examplesQit will beunderstood that these examples are to be con and the bracing strued asillustrative and not by way of limitation. Other modifications arecontemplated as within the scope of the invention as defined by thefollowing claim.

What is claimed is:

1 The combination with a fabric Venetian blind slat having stifieningmeans of folded metal along its longitudinal edges and provided with

